In the News

Terror, it seems, often starts at home. Whether they are self-proclaimed jihadists or men with a grievance, a pattern is emerging among the mass killers whose murderous rages have claimed so many victims in recent times.

A history of grudges against women and a record of domestic violence have been common factors in a number of such attacks, offering startling insights into the psychology of men who set out to kill complete strangers.

One night last week, Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel deliberately drove a lorry into crowds of people celebrating Bastille Day on the seafront in Nice. Eighty-four people died, including 10 children. The terrorist organisation Isil claimed responsibility for the attack but French investigators have not disclosed any direct evidence of a link.

What has emerged in the days since, is Bouhlel’s undisputed history of domestic abuse. "He beat his wife, my cousin, he was a nasty piece of work’" said a relative of his estranged spouse. Similar stories emerged last month after Omar Mateen murdered 49 people at gay club Pulse in Orlando. His ex-wife claimed that he beat her and denied contact with her family and friends during the four months they lived together. She was rescued by relatives, who she says literally dragged her from his arms. ...

Until two weeks ago, mentions of Qandeel Baloch on my social media were accompanied by memes and jokes. Posts ridiculing her accent, laughing at her, judging her – but through it all, consuming her.

Last week, I woke up to news of her death. No, not her death – news of her murder.

I am not sure why I was so shocked. Women are constantly killed in the world we live in, especially women like Qandeel. Women who dare to speak out, who dare to defy expectations: women who stand out from the crowd. Women who have opinions. Women who take ownership of their bodies and their sexualities. Women who challenge the hypocrisy of a society in which there are no consequences for men but all of them for women. ...

A ruling by the Independent Press Standard Organisation has criticised the Mail Online for a headline which speculated that the death of a woman in Luton earlier this year might have been an “Islamic honour killing”. While it appeared that the police were investigating the possibility that the woman may have been the victim of an honour killing, IPSO concluded there was no basis for imputing a religious motive.

The verdict in this case comes a day after an incident in which a French woman and her three daughters were apparently stabbed while they holidayed in the Alps. As news of the attack broke, it was noted that the alleged perpetrator was a Muslim man, born in Morocco. Not only that, but early reports suggested that the deputy mayor of the locality had referred to the attacker being motivated by distaste of the victims’ clothing – said to be shorts and T-shirts. ...

First of all, I want to address the fact that I write this article not for your sympathy, but simply because I think too many cases like mine go unnoticed. It’s about time our voices were heard. So this is a plea to all girls (and boys): If you think you have been a victim of sexual abuse, please speak up. Don’t be afraid.

I have been keeping up to date with recent news reporting on the Stanford rape case: the atrocious way those close to the perpetrator have tried to mitigate his actions by attributing them to ‘college-binge-drinking-behaviour’. These articles prompted me to think about my own sexual experiences growing up and what defines the term ‘rape’.

I have been raped. It’s taken me nine whole years of my life to be able to say that with conviction. I have been a victim of sexual abuse. I am a survivor of sexual abuse. ...

Despite pleas from an alleged victim to keep the case public, a Utah judge has expunged the record of a man once accused of groping women while he was jogging on the Brigham Young University campus in 2014.

Nathan Fletcher, now 25, requested that his criminal record be wiped clean after he successfully completed a diversion agreement for two counts of class A misdemeanor sexual battery. He was not required to enter a plea to the crimes. ...